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Anticoagulation practice patterns in COVID-19: A global survey
Rachel P Rosovsky1, Kristen M Sanfilippo2, Tzu Fei Wang3
1Department of Medicine Massachusetts General Hospital Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA.
Insights
Current practices for managing venous thromboembolism (VTE) in COVID-19 patients vary globally. Most physicians use prophylactic anticoagulation, but more research is needed to establish optimal VTE and bleeding management strategies.
Area of Science:
- Internal Medicine
- Hematology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Optimal management of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients remains unclear due to limited data.
- Understanding current global practices is crucial for guiding future research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess worldwide physician practices in preventing, diagnosing, and managing VTE in COVID-19 patients.
- To gather insights for designing prospective and randomized clinical trials.
Main Methods:
- An online survey was distributed to physicians internationally.
- The survey focused on prophylaxis, diagnosis, and treatment of VTE in COVID-19 patients.
- Data were collected from April 10-14, 2020.
Main Results:
- 515 physicians from 41 countries responded.
- 78% recommended prophylactic anticoagulation for hospitalized COVID-19 patients, primarily using heparin-based treatments.
- Observed thrombotic complications (e.g., pulmonary embolism) and bleeding complications were reported, with wide variations in incidence estimates.
Conclusions:
- Significant variation exists in VTE management approaches for COVID-19 patients.
- There is an urgent need for well-designed epidemiologic studies and randomized clinical trials to determine optimal anticoagulation strategies and understand VTE/bleeding risks.
Background:
Best practice for prevention, diagnosis, and management of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is unknown due to limited published data in this population.
Objectives:
We aimed to assess current global practice and experience in management of COVID-19-associated coagulopathy to identify information to guide prospective and randomized studies.
Methods:
Physicians were queried about their current approach to prophylaxis, diagnosis, and treatment of VTE in patients with COVID-19 using an online survey tool distributed through multiple international organizations between April 10 and 14, 2020.
Results:
Five hundred fifteen physicians from 41 countries responded. The majority of respondents (78%) recommended prophylactic anticoagulation for all hospitalized patients with COVID-19, with most recommending use of low-molecular-weight heparin or unfractionated heparin. Significant practice variation was found regarding the need for dose escalation of anticoagulation outside the setting of confirmed or suspected VTE. Respondents reported the use of bedside testing when unable to perform standard diagnostic imaging for diagnosis of VTE. Two hundred ninety-one respondents reported observing thrombotic complications in their patients, with 64% noting that the complication was pulmonary embolism. Of the 44% of respondents who estimated incidence of thrombosis in patients with COVID-19 in their hospital, estimates ranged widely from 1% to 50%. One hundred seventy-four respondents noted bleeding complications (34% minor bleeding, 14% clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding, and 12% major bleeding).
Conclusion:
Well-designed epidemiologic studies are urgently needed to understand the incidence and risk factors of VTE and bleeding complications in patients with COVID-19. Randomized clinical trials addressing use of anticoagulation are also needed.
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